The present invention relates to support structures for stonelike objects such as, for example, headstones and other grave markers, and retaining walls.
Operators of cemetery facilities, faced with increasing labor costs, are seeking to make cemetery maintenance as readily amenable to mechanical means as possible. These businesses also seek to maintain the attractive appearance of cemeteries, which are usually landscaped with lawns and plantings. Relatives of deceased persons are also concerned about the maintenance of grave sites as well as the initial cost of headstones.
Some cemeteries that have been in existence for long periods of time tend to have grave-markers and headstones which have sunk into the soil, often at irregular angles. As well as producing an unattractive and irregular appearance, markers that are tilted, sunken, partially buried, or protruding at various angles, dramatically increase maintenance costs, as such markers must have grass and other vegetation cleared from around them by hand due to their irregularity, rather than by use of power tools. For instance, a horizontally disposed marker, such as is required more and more by cemeteries due to lawn maintenance issues, can be readily mowed over if it lies flat and flush with the ground surface. However, if the stone sinks irregularly into the ground, a portion may protrude enough to be damaged by a mower blade set at a standard height, thus requiring hand trimming of the area.
Furthermore, as stones sink into the ground, the horizontal surfaces with memorial indicia tend to become covered with soil and vegetation, leading to a decrepit look and obscuring the indicia of the interred person. The corrosive nature of some soils acting on the bronze or marble used in many grave markers can also bring about unattractive degradation of the materials of construction of the marker.
The materials of which most headstones and grave markers are made aggravate the problem due to their heaviness and density. The attributes that people seek in grave markers, notably durability and longevity, are largely found in heavier materials such as stone, cement, metal, or even brick. Few headstones are made of lightweight materials, such as wood, plastic or aluminum, which might be easier to support on soft graveyard soils. Rather, the weight of the marker material combined with the relatively small footprint on the soft soil tends to promote sinkage and displacement of the marker.
The need to support heavy stonelike objects on soil is also encountered in other applications, such as in parks where landscaping features such as retaining walls, statues or fountains are placed on relatively soft soils. Features such as relatively low landscaping walls are used both in cemeteries and in parks. Golf courses are another venue where sometimes heavy objects such as benches or statuary must rest on relatively soft soils.
The construction of retaining walls made of concrete block presents particular challenges. Because they are usually held in place by gravity, the provision of trenching and drainage is needed to provide stability. Among other things, this is labor intensive.
For these and other reasons, it is desirable to provide a structure adapted for supporting head stones, grave-markers, retaining walls, statuary, benches, and other heavy stonelike objects that must rest on the relatively soft soils of cemeteries, park lawns, and other relatively unstable surfaces. Such a structure should not only evenly distribute the weight of the heavy stonelike object over the area of ground that it covers and itself be strong enough to avoid being crushed or deformed by the object it is supporting, but it should also provide for proper drainage around the object being supported and not itself collect water. Otherwise, water pooling around the object being supported could not only cause corrosion but also could add to the already substantial weight being supported.
Many attempts have been made to provide support for grave-markers and other stonelike objects in the ground, but the foregoing concerns have not heretofore been adequately addressed. For example, Matvey, U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,172 describes a structure for supporting a single grave-marker. The structure has a rectangular frame with a horizontal base portion defining a relatively large opening, a transition portion having a vertical lower portion and a sloping upper portion, and an upper portion which is horizontal and outwardly directed. The grave marker rests within the frame and is supported around its edges by the horizontal base portion of the support. Thus, the grave-maker receives no support except for a relatively narrow band around its edges and its bottom is in direct contact with earth or a filling material. Drainage occurs only through the bottom of the unit, as no provision is made for drainage laterally through the frame.
Matvey, U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,999 describes a protective structure for a single grave-marker that is designed to prevent undesired displacement of the marker and inhibit adjacent vegetation. However, the Matvey structure is actually a three-part assembly that requires pouring a concrete slab to support a frame and provide anchor bolts for the marker. Also, water drainage is provided by relatively small circular holes which may become plugged from debris such as grass clipping, portions of dead leaves, or particles of dirt carried downward by the water flow.
Nota, U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,436 discloses another example of a grave-marker support device that includes a basin which conforms substantially to the shape of the grave-marker, and which is equipped with flanges which are reinforced with a rigid curled-under edge or lip. The basin, whose bottom is otherwise solid, has grooves to channel water to an outlet to facilitate drainage through a central hole. Again, the drainage hole is shown to be relatively small in diameter compared to the dimensions of the basin and may become plugged with debris carried by water flow.
In addition, all of the above-referenced devices employ lips which rest upon the top surface of the ground surrounding the grave-marker, thereby providing a visibly obtrusive barrier to the growth of grass.
In view of the above, there is a need for an improved support structure that addresses the above-mentioned deficiencies in structures for stably supporting headstones and other stonelike objects on the ground.